Chris Gayle to travel to Germany for assessing back injury

Mumbai: Explosive West Indies batsman Chris Gayle is racing against time to get fit for his 100th Test match at his home country of Jamaica early next month and is set to fly tonight from here to consult t a specialist in Germany for his troubling back injury.

"It was tough. It (injury) happened just before IPL at the end of the T20 World Cup in Bangladesh. It became even worse later. I thought it was a simple thing when I went back and then when I started training in UAE it became difficult bending and sprinting between wickets. It was a problem, but I tried my best and missed first 4 games," said the 34-year-old left-handed batsman here after launching his own shoe brand (CG) designed by Shyam Kale.

"I am just trying to get this injury sorted out. Even now I am struggling. I could not move too much, bend too much. I am going to Germany tonight to see a specialist to resolve this issue, to try and get fit now. The Test match against New Zealand (which would be his 100th) starts on June 8.

"It (100th Test) will be a big achievement for me. That's the reason I am flying to see a specialist," he added.

The opener said he was looking forward to the milestone which he feels would have crossed a long while ago but for injuries.

"100th Test will mean a lot to me. I played for West Indies first 13 years ago and I am going on to my 14th year to get to the milestone. I should have got past this a long time ago but for injuries. But these things happen. You pick up injuries as a cricketer," Gayle said.

"I am still injured and I am trying to sort it out so that I can be fully fit for that special occasion. It's a big task and a big occasion to me and for people back home. I have my fingers crossed and hopefully I will be back on the field as quickly as possible," he added.